The Reader Digests | Free Hamburgers

What is better than a hamburger?  A FREE hamburger. 

I love anything free, but I was inspired to write about hamburgers this week because SSJCPL is giving out free burgers! Sort of. I mean, librarians haven't turned the info desks into grills or anything like that (but that would be pretty awesome). What I do mean is that SSJCPL is participating in In-N-Out's "Cover to Cover" club. Kids - ages four to twelve - can sign up for this club at any SSJCPL library location. The rules are simple: read five books by April 12, get a burger! And kids can read 15 books for a total of three burgers!

The program got me thinking. I know that I am a fan of burgers, but from where (not what) do burgers originate?  Many people think that hamburgers came from Hamburg, Germany and it is true that is where hamburger, or ground beef, was first introduced. However, hamburgers, the ones we know and love, beef in a bun - or, if you are watching your carbs, lettuce - were first enjoyed at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904! The easy, cheap, and tasty treat was quickly adopted as one of America's all-time favorite foods! We have added plenty of variety to our burgers over the years. People use different meats or meatless patties, a wide array of condiments, other toppings, and different types of breads (or lettuce).

So, here are my personal "burger awards". I would love to hear about your burger awards in the comments section!:

Favorite homemade burger: Beef burger with jalapenos, salsa, guacamole, and cheddar cheese.

Most unique burger: Gott's Roadside Ahi Burger

Best fast food burger: In-N-Out! I went to college in the Midwest and every time I came back to California I always put In-N-Out on my list of places to visit. The fact that they give kids burgers for reading makes them even more cool! 

The Reader Digests | Blogging, Take Three!

Alrighty, I'm not going to beat around the bush here.  It has been a long time since I have blogged.  I actually forgot how to log on to our blogging site.  That is how much time it has been!  

So let's review my blogging fails...

First, I tried the Short Attention Span Challenge and I couldn't keep it up. It was too, well, challenging.  But truthfully, it's because I went back to school (after this post) and I just couldn't do all those projects combined with working full-time, parenting my kids, and grad school every week. 

Then, I tried Miss Moneypennypincher's money-saving blog.  Here's the deal, I ran out of money-saving ideas.  I guess if I was Suze Orman or Dave Ramsey, I would have more than a blog at ssjcpl.com (not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you!).

If you won't, then I will!

Now (and hopefully forever-ish), I am undertaking a whole new blog!  And here is the premise:

Do I eat food? Yes.

Do I like food? Yes.

Can I talk endlessly about food? Yes!

Sounds like an obvious "blogging win" to me!

My new blog is The Reader Digests! Yum!!!

Every  Friday at 2 p.m. 

Food, Food, Food | Friday Night Fun

So it's a fun Friday night in Stockton.  I am taking a fellow librarian out to dinner for her birthday.  I asked her where she wants to go and she announced that we will be going to "our place" which translates to Centrale.  Centrale just changed menus for the winter and I am so excited to get a gander at it.  If you haven't had a chance to go there, go there.  I am pretty loyal to the Miracle Mile and eating at locally owned restaurants.

Speaking of which, I noticed that The Ave (also on the Miracle Mile) is having an 80's event tonight.  They encourage you to dress for that decade.  I remember that decade all too well since I was in high school and college then.  I had a bad perm (more than once) and did indeed do the Jane Fonda workout.  (That may have been the last decade that I did regular exercise.) 

Here are some fun books that you might enjoy reading about the 1980's

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Pat Benatar

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family and Finding the Perfect Lipstick by Molly Ringwald

Food, Food, Food | Meet Mazie Reynolds

Now you will all get to meet Mazie Reynolds.  Mazie is a Chihuahua mix that literally walked into the library and my life.  She actually marched right up to the Information Desk and seemed to be asking a reference question about where she could best serve our customers.  I took her home “for the night” and it is turning out to be the longest one night stand in history.  She has a complete wardrobe that includes some sweaters, a rain slicker and several sundresses.  Her most recently dress is a leopard print one so that we can dress alike. 

Don’t forget that your library has lots of books about dogs.  My new favorite is Chihuahuas are the Best! by Elaine Landau.  My sweet girl sort of looks like the glamour dog on page 11. 

Back to food!  My favorite restaurant in town is Centrale.  They just released their Winter Menu and it is full of yummy treats.  My person favorite is Apricot/Bourbon chicken fritters with fries.  For brunch I love their Belgian Waffle because it comes covered in fruit and with a side of melted chocolate.  Melted chocolate!    They have a new dessert on the menu- Apple Fritters.  Order with a side of sour cream, I promise you will be happy you did. The wait staff is outstanding and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that most of them know what I want to drink when I get there. 

I’d love to hear about other favorite restaurants in town.   Post a comment.  I will try your suggestions and review them myself.  It will give me an excuse to go out to dinner! 

Food, Food, Food | Meet Mr. Burt Reynolds

So my blog is about food, but I am going to bore you with stories about my dogs from time to time so I thought I might introduce them to you. 

Burt Reynolds, the human

My oldest dog is a sweet, fat, Border Collie mix named Mr.  Burt Reynolds.  He recently turned 7.  He lives with me and two female dogs that you will meet in the future.  He has had many other girlfriends as he is aptly named.  His favorite activities include sleeping, eating, sleeping, kissing me, sleeping and what we call basically: “Reynolds-ing.”  The “Reynolds-ing” primarily includes him barking and destroying my living room window sills. 

This dog talk has made me wonder what you pet owners do for food for your animals?   I buy food but one of my good friends makes food for her dog.  We have books at the library for people who want recipes for food for their dogs.  I am hardly capable of cooking for myself and my imagined dinner partner  George Clooney. 

Check these out:

• The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy Volhard
• Earl Mindell’s Nutrition and Health for Dogs by, not surprisingly, Earl Mindell.

Something else to remember in case reading about Mr. Burt Reynolds has made you wonder about the movie star he shares a name with is our Biography Database: Biography in Context.  It’s a great place to learn things like Burt’s middle name (Leon) and about how many movies and television shows he’s been in (a lot!) 

See you next week when you will read about the adventures of one Mazie Reynolds.  (My dogs share a surname that is not my own.)

Picture courtesy of Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride

Food, Food, Food! ? Vegetarian???

Without meaning to, I sort of gave up meat this week.  The last time I had any meat was last Friday evening.  I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I've started eating spaghetti with Alfredo and red sauce in a beautiful mixture with cheese for dinner rather than focusing on the lack of meat.  I am not sure how long this will last, but the weight loss is welcome and the massive amount of carbs help me sleep through the night.  The three dogs that each want to be in bed and pressed up to the same spot on my side are not as helpful. 

Tonight I am going to try something new in my vegetarian world- rice with bbq sauce, cheese and sour cream.  As I type that I realize that what I really am is addicted to carbs and dairy.  I suppose there are worse addictions.

I just grabbed this book: Vegetarian Cooking Around the World and I am certainly interested in sampling something called “Butter Cookies.”  I’d actually just like any cookie with butter spread on top of it, as long as there aren't raisins in it.  What a waste of a perfectly good grape!  Also, this book reminded me that if I stay a vegetarian, I bet I can have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a lot more often than I normally do!  Oh and grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.  Suddenly, I don’t miss meat at all!

Food, Food, Food! | Cooking Competitions on Television: How Your Library Can Assist You with This Obsession

I find myself compulsively watching cooking competitions on television.  My dogs watch with me, although that could have more to do with their interest in cuddling with me than the content on the telly.  I watch every Top Chef version, Hell’s Kitchen, Master Chef and anything else I stumble upon.  The competition aspect is critical because as one friend pointed out; “If weather could figure out how to compete Peaches would watch The Weather Channel.”  It’s true.  I am very seldom going to make anything I watch someone make, let alone eat it, especially if anything like kale or pretty much anything green is going to be in it. 

Many of the world’s famous chefs have cookbooks that we keep in our libraries.  (I love that there are so many famous chefs now.   People have heard of chefs besides Julia Child and Alice Waters.)  I am going to share a list of some books both about competitive eating/cooking and by chefs who are on tv.

Some cooking from television's favorite chefs that the library carries are: 

Emeril's TV Dinners  by Emeril Lagasse

Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone by Curtis Stone

The Naked Chef Takes Off by Jamie Oliver

Food, Food, Food!! | Cookbook Friday

This blog will be dedicated to the celebration of food, glorious food.   There may be some fun drink and restaurant chatter, too.   When your name is “Peaches,” you have to write about food.  I AM food!  I not exactly a foodie, because I am as finicky an eater as your average 8 year old but I do love to read and talk about food.

Initially I want to remind all of you that every library in this system has a terrific collection of cookbooks.  The primary call number for cookbooks is 641.  (You can always ask a librarian to show the section to you.)   I want to highlight some cookbooks for children in this blog, because we have some terrific ones!

First I want to highlight one of my favorite food books for children; It’s Disgusting and We Ate it! True Food Facts From Around the World and Throughout History.  By James Solheim.  Here’s a fun fact that is in fact, disgusting:

“From the mushrooms on your pizza and the yeast in its crust to the mildew behind the sink, fungi are everywhere.  In fact, there are millions of fungi in your house that you never even say ‘hi’ to!  You breathe them in every breath, and they grow in your food.”

Fun cookbooks based on Children’s Books:

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz

The Winnie-the-Pooh Cookbook by Virginia H. Ellison

The Nancy Drew Cookbook by Carolyn Keene

See you next week, unless you frequent Centrale on the Miracle Mile in which case you will probably see me sooner.